


from one hero to another

by Squishy_TRex



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: All hurt no comfort, Angst, F/M, Reminiscing, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 04:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5991847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squishy_TRex/pseuds/Squishy_TRex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Valentine's Day is meant to be spent with loved ones, not their ghosts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	from one hero to another

It was a quiet morning in the Pym household, save for the slight clicking of ants moving across the table.

It was Valentine’s Day and Hank was alone. Scott and Hope had both left in a hurry, citing both work and unspecified Valentine’s Day plans for their early starts. And, in tandem, had added that he didn’t need to wait up for them, for, well, obvious reasons.

It was enough to make him suspicious that they were sneaking around, despite protestations from both sides.

Reading the newspaper, intermittently pausing to take a few sips from his tea, he noticed how quiet it was without them here. Without even realizing it, he’d become accustomed to their noisy presence, their constant bickering now a source of comfort more than annoyance. The quiet was…disconcerting. He glanced at his only

“I guess it’s just you and me today fellas,” he said.

They didn’t respond, except to bring more sugar for his tea. He sighed.

“I’m talking to ants, I’ve officially lost it,” he muttered. He could hear Janet’s voice in his head, coupled with her giggle.

“ _Oh Hank, I don’t think you ever ‘had’ it in the first place.”_

Her smile was clear in his vision, bold and teasing, the perfect embodiment of everything she was.

Hank swallowed and closed his eyes tightly.  He breathed, in and out, then got up and dumped out his tea in the sink. Any sort of appetite having left him, he resolved to try and get some work done in the basement.

His workspace was more cluttered than usual, which reminded him that he needed to reprimand Scott for it later.

 After clearing the area, he set to work on the regulator, alternating that with researching about the possibilities of the dimensional travel.

Hank had questioned Scott again and again about the Quantum Realm, knowing that even the tiniest detail would have made a world of difference in his research. Unfortunately, nothing had seemed to trigger his memory yet, but Hank was undeterred.

Scott went subatomic, entered the Quantum Realm, and _came back._ If he could make it back that meant…she could too. And Hank would stop at nothing to bring her home, if she was indeed still trapped there.

He quickly fell into the steady rhythm of tinker, research, hypothesize (wash, rinse, repeat), for once having no distractions to deter him. When he glanced at his watch to check the time, over three hours had already passed.

His lips twitched into a slight smile. Hank knew that given the opportunity, he could stay in his lab for days on end, as Janet had been so often reminded him.

_“Hank! You’ve been locked up in her for ages!” Janet exclaimed from behind him._

_“I’ll take a break in five minutes,” he muttered absently._

_She laughed, a high-pitched sound that always seemed to boom and echo throughout the room. Hank loved hearing it._

_“That’s what you told me over four hours ago!” She came up right behind his chair and leaned forward, placing her hands on his shoulders._

_Hank turned and looked up at her sheepishly._

_“Sorry, Jan, looks like I lost track of time.”_

_Janet rolled her eyes. “Like that hasn’t happened before.” She squeezed his shoulders._

_“Come on, you mad scientist. It’s a beautiful day outside and I’m not going to let you let me waste another minute of it.”_

_He smiled as he allowed her to pull him out of his chair and away from his research. The firm grip of her soft hand in his made his heart flutter in a way his work never did._

Hank rubbed a hand over his face, sending his glasses askew. Hours spent working and still no closer to getting her home. With a deep sigh, he abandoned his workstation, unsatisfied with his lack of progress, but finding no motivation to continue.

Upstairs, he decided to distract himself by poring over some alternative designs for the suits and a few ideas for more nonlethal weapons. The scratching of his pencil sounded even louder when he was alone.

_“There’s nothing wrong with the design of the suits,” Hank said defensively._

_Janet made a face._

_“They could definitely be better,” she said. And he watched as she, face firm in concentration, started drawing on the paper in front of them. Her hand moved the pencil elegantly, creating graceful curves and sharp lines with seemingly little effort. Hank was transfixed._

_Janet paused and looked up to catch him staring. She winked and Hank swallowed, his face growing hot._

_She slowly brushed her foot up and down his leg. Hank looked back at her with he found himself starting to smile at the wicked glint in her eyes._

_“I can think of something much more fun we could be doing right now,” she said in a sultry voice. Hank never cleared a table faster in his life._

Leaning against his chair, Hank blew out a long suffering breath, pencil clenched in his fist.

Feeling her like this, in their house, in his head, on today of all days, was a fresh kind of pain. Usually he could distract himself, but the recent spark of renewed hope combined with the untimely holiday found all of his feelings surging back to life, like a generator powering up after years of being turned off.

Shaking his head slightly, a physical reaction to discourage his thoughts, Hank got up and tried to find something else to do. But the rest of the day was filled with more reminders of her, a relentless barrage of memories and feelings. 

The evening when they completely botching their first attempt at cooking.

“ _I swear Hank, we should never be let near a stove again!” she said, smiling even as their dinner lay in ruins._

_“I didn’t think it was even possible to burn water,” Hank joked. He grinned as she howled with laughter._

The time he caught her dancing along to the radio.

_“You know I can’t dance, Janet,” Hank said as she pulled him towards her._

_She smirked. “I promise that no one is watching you. Except me. And I don’t mind your bad dancing, it makes mine look even better.”_

_He rolled his eyes fondly and allowed her to lead him through the steps as the next song started playing._

The two of them curled up on the couch, basking in the glow of their first solo mission.

_“Ant-Man and The Wasp,” Janet murmured. She leaned her head into the crook of his neck._

_“You like the codenames?” Hank asked, drawing her closer._

_She smiled._

_“I love them.”_

Feeling her presence, her laugh, her exuberance in everything made the rest of the day go slower. There was a part of him that was grateful she couldn’t see him like this, aching and lonely and weak

Deciding to turn in early for the night, Hank trudged up the stairs, definitely not thinking about she almost attempted to slide down the bannister the first night in the house.  

After he finished his nighttime preparations, he sat on his side of the bed (the other side never touched, not in decades) and wearily rubbed his temples, grateful the day was over. Glancing up, his gaze caught on the picture that never left his bedside.

It was of Janet, young, beautiful, and glowing, with newborn Hope cradled in her arms. Hank reached out with a trembling hand and brought it close. He embraced his watery smile and one, final memory.

_“Hope’s finally asleep,” Janet said, barely stifling a yawn. “It’s amazing, less than a year old and she already pouts like you.”_

_“I do not pout,” he said over his shoulder as he finished buttoning up his pajama top._

_“Mmmm, you definitely do,” she responded, the bed dipping under her weight. “Especially when Stark talks over you and butchers your ideas.”Hank only snorted in response. Janet came closer until she was seated beside him and he automatically pulled an arm around her. She leaned into him and sighed, pressing her face against his chest._

_“She’s so wonderful, Hank,” Janet said breathlessly. “I was so afraid of being a mom, of not being any good at it, but for her, I’m willing to try. She deserves everything and I’m going to do my best_

_“Jan,” he said quietly. “I think it’s time we start talking about…retirement.” He felt her stiffen beside him._

_“We’re heroes, Hank,” she said, unusually quiet. “We can’t just quit. The world still needs us. Now, more than ever.”_

_He sighed. “I, I know that.” He breathed in. “But anything could happen, especially in the field and now that we have Hope, I don’t think…”_

_“Nothing’s going to happen, Hank,” she said, cutting him off. “The two of us have to keep fighting the good fight, especially now that we have Hope here to see us._ _We’ll face all of this like we always have. Together.”_

_She sat up and cradled his face in her hands, bringing their foreheads together. Hank reached up to gently hold on to her wrists. “Like it or not, you’re stuck with me for life,”she murmured softly against his lips before capturing them in a sweet kiss._

He gently touched his lips, still feeling the sensation, all those years later.

And, like a dam bursting, all of his emotions rushed to the surface, culminating in the tear that ran down his face and onto the picture frame.

Hank’s face formed a bittersweet smile. In a way, they _were_ still together. Even though the memories were always painful to relive, he was ultimately glad for them. They kept something of her alive in this world, reminded him of whom he was fighting for.

He chuckled quietly. Even when Janet wasn’t here, she still managed to be the hero, saving him.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart,” he said, looking down at the picture, gently tracing the outline of her face, a few more tears falling down his.

Today had seemed lonely and awful with so many reminders that he was here while she wasn’t, but Hank had a feeling, as long as their memories stayed with him, and he kept working on a solution, he’d find a way to bring her home.

**Author's Note:**

> My love for the Hank/Janet relationship is mostly thanks to Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, which is where I looked to for inspiration for Janet's character. I'm hoping that Marvel will give us a satisfying reunion because an MCU without Janet is a CRIME.


End file.
